Spotlight (2015)

So much of what makes “Spotlight” great is what it isn’t. It doesn’t stoop to syrupy moments or exploitative scenes. It never seeks to use the victims of the story as a prop for emotion, nor does it seek to glorify the dilligent protagonists who screwed this thing up nearly as much as everyone else.

Behind every great writer is a great editor; not because the writer is poor, necessarily. It’s so easy to write to excess, to add superfluous words and punctuation. “Spotlight” doesn’t do that. It commits to its story so fully that it pulls you in behind it. Within minutes a harpoon lodges itself under your lip, dragging you through 2001 Boston with the Globe’s investigative journalism team.

Restraint is an underappreciated trait and it is shown (or not shown) in all its glory in “Spotlight.” While this is, largely, an ensemble picture (with a great ensemble, by the way) it doesn’t fall into the trap of letting the actors banter about with witty dialogue like it might if written by, you know, that Aaron Sorkin guy. This isn’t that kind of movie — it’s not “A Few Good Men.” And it’s better for it.

When thinking about an actual spotlight — what that word really means, it’s easy to start with what the light shines on. “Spotlight” avoids this pitfall, too, acknowledging what went unseen in the darkness because those involved didn’t want to know it was there. It doesn’t pity the protagonists, such as they are, but it acknowledges their faults. It acknowledges our faults.

Some stories just don’t need any dressing up. “Spotlight” is one of them. Tom McCarthy tells an important story plainly, and he gets his actors to buy in. The ferocity and intensity brought to this film by everyone involved keeps it humming along through its 128 minute runtime. You won’t notice, trust me.

If its only flaw is that it never quite reaches for a peak, its greatest strength is that there are no valleys. Perhaps “Spotlight” is poorly named — there are no highs and certainly no lows. Instead, it’s a film that is smartly satisfied with its own perfect consistency. There’s nothing wrong with a straight line of excellence.

****1/2